The present invention relates to a bill handling machine, and in particular, to a bill handling machine in which a bill storing box is attachable and detachable in the bill handling machine in operation.
For example, JP-A-11-175801 describes a conventional bill handling machine including a money receiving/paying port, a transport path, a money separating section, a temporary storing box, and money storing box. The money storing box of the bill handling machine includes a money receiving box, a money paying box, a recycle box, a charge/recovery box, and the like. The money storing box can be attached onto and detached from the bill handling machine.
In the conventional bill handling machine, when a money or bill storing box is attached onto the bill handling machine, for example, after a bill storing box used up to this point of time is detached therefrom, it is impossible for the bill handling machine to obtain information of the number of bills existing in the bill storing box thus attached onto the machine. Therefore, even if the bill storing box is full of bills installed by an operator, an operation to deposit money may possibly be conducted after the bill handling machine resumes its operation. In this situation, the machine tries to store the received bills in the bill storing box. This consequently may lead to an abnormal state depending on cases. On the other hand, even if the bill storing box is empty after an operator removes the bills therefrom, an operation to draw money may possibly be conducted after the bill handling machine resumes its operation. In this situation, the machine tries to obtain bills from the empty bill storing box. This possibly causes an abnormal state in some cases.
Additionally, when the bill storing box is installed on the bill handling machine as above, the machine cannot obtain information of a type of bills such as a 10000-Yen bill or a 1000-Yen bill and information of a type of the bill storing box such as a money receiving box, a money paying box, or a recycle box. Therefore, when the bill storing box is filled with bills of a type not expected by the bill handling machine, the machine possibly tries to obtain therefrom or to store therein bills of an unexpected type, which leads to an abnormal state in some cases. There may also occur a case in which the bill handling machine tries to store bills in a bill paying box or to obtain bills from a bill storing box, which also causes an abnormal state depending on cases.
It is therefore an object of the present invention, which has been devised to remove the above problems, to provide a bill handling machine capable of obtaining the information of the bill storing box installed therein and notifying the information to the operator.
To solve the problems, there is provided in accordance with the preset invention a bill handling machine for handling bills including a money receiving/paying section for receiving and paying bills, bill storing boxes including respective pushing plates to push bills stored therein, position sensors to detect positions of the pushing plates, and a storage for storing therein storing box information indicating types of the respective storing boxes; and a main controller. In operation of the bill handling machine, the storing boxes are removed from the bill handing machine and re-installed therein to fill bills in the boxes or to collect bills from the boxes. When an event in which the storing box is removed from the machine and is then re-installed therein is detected, the main controller receives signals from the storage and signals outputted from the position sensors when the pushing plate is driven, detects information of the storing box and information of the number of bills, and displays the detected results to report the condition.